These are the news that made headlines this week in the field of Autonomous Vehicles, Connected Vehicles, Micromobility, Clean Mobility, India, and Research:
Autonomous Vehicles
Robotaxi companies can now charge for rides in California
The California Public Utilities Commission has allowed Robotaxi Companies to charge for shared rides in autonomous vehicles in the state. The robotaxi operators will have to apply for permits with safety plans and meet several reporting requirements for the same.
Information about the pickup and drop-off locations for individual trips, the availability and volume of wheelchair accessible data like the fuel type used by the vehicles, miles traveled and passenger miles traveled will also be needed to be submitted. The decision was cheered by the automated vehicle technology industry that was lobbing to consider a rule change from last two years.
Airbiquity joins Automotive Industry Consortium AUTOSAR as development partner
Airbiquity, a connected vehicle services company, has joined AUTOSAR, a worldwide development partnership of car manufacturers, suppliers, and other companies, as a development partner. With more than 280 partners around the world, AUTOSAR aims to standardize the software architecture of vehicle electronic control units (ECUs) to improve the overall efficiency of automotive system software development and integration.
The company plans to enhance compatibility of its OTAmatic over-the-air (OTA) software and data management offering with AUTOSAR based devices and systems. As an AUTOSAR development partner, Airbiquity will also be a member of the Update and Configuration Management working group and will contribute to future standard releases, including software development for the Adaptive Platform Demonstrator.
Magna launches EyeQ5-based driver assistance system
Mobility technology company, Magna has launched next generation of camera-based driver assistance system. The system named Magna Gen5 is based on Mobileye EyeQ5– Mobileye’s fifth-generation SoC for vision central computer sensor fusion for fully autonomous (L4/5) driving vehicles.
The system has the forward-facing camera– featuring a 120-degree, 8-megapixel optical path– and related software contained in a single assembly. Benefits of the product according to the company are lower cost, simplified installation on the assembly line, and the ability for the technology to be applied to a wider range of an automaker’s lineup. The system aims to provide drivers with safety and convenience features such as adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection.
Luminar accelerates Commercial Momentum With Mobileye Design
Luminar announced that it has struck a deal with Mobileye, an Intel company, to supply Luminar lidar for the company’s Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Series solution in its next phase of driverless car development and testing.
As part of the agreement, Mobileye will collaborate with Luminar to use its lidar for the first generation of its level 4 Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) pilot and driverless fleet in key markets around the world, including Tel Aviv, Israel; Dubai, UAE; Paris, France; and Daegu City, and South Korea.
BMW Group founds company: IDEALworks
The BMW Group has announced founding IDEALworks GmbH – a fully-owned subsidiary headquartered in Munich. The aim is to become a leading supplier of autonomous robotics solutions in the logistics sector. The name “IDEAL” stands for Industry Driven Engineering for Autonomous Logistics.
The team from BMW Group Logistics has been working on future-focused industry 4.0 solutions in the fields of virtual reality, augmented reality, in- and outdoor logistics robots, paperless logistics and smart devices. Many of these solutions are already in series production at BMW Group production locations.
Velodyne Lidar signs multi-year sales agreement with Local Motors
Velodyne Lidar has announced a multi-year sales agreement with Local Motors, a digital vehicle manufacturer that develops sustainable mobility solutions to empower communities around the world. Local Motors said it selected Velodyne’s sensors after a rigorous evaluation process where they clearly stood out as the right strategic partner to address its long-term lidar needs.
Local Motors uses Velodyne’s lidar sensors to enable safe, reliable operation of Olli, the company’s 3D-printed, electric, self-driving shuttle. Velodyne Puck sensors, according to the company, provides rich computer perception data that make it quick and easy for autonomous solutions to build highly accurate 3D maps for navigation. The Puck also claims to deliver a high-resolution surround view image which can accurately measure and analyze an environment. The Puck’s reliability, power-efficiency and versatility make it an ideal solution for demanding mobility and other applications.
Goodyear and TuSimple collaborate on autonomous vehicle freight operations
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has entered into a strategic relationship with TuSimple, a autonomous trucking technology company, to provide tires and tire management solutions to TuSimple’s Autonomous Freight Network (AFN).
As part of this collaboration, Goodyear will provide products and repair services to enhance the safety and operation of autonomous trucks. Additionally, Goodyear and TuSimple will conduct wear studies designed to understand how autonomous trucks and tires can help better predict maintenance, understand tire longevity and reduce the carbon impact of fleets. Collected data from the study will also deliver insights into the difference between an autonomous and human driver with respect to the tires.
Clean Mobility
Hyundai and INEOS sign MoU to explore together new opportunities in the hydrogen economy
Hyundai Motor Company and INEOS have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to explore new opportunities to accelerate the global hydrogen economy.
Hyundai and INEOS will jointly investigate opportunities for the production and supply of hydrogen as well as the worldwide deployment of hydrogen applications and technologies. Both companies will initially seek to facilitate public and private sector projects focused on the development of a hydrogen value chain in Europe.
The agreement also includes the evaluation of Hyundai’s proprietary fuel cell system for the recently announced INEOS Grenadier 4×4 vehicle. This cooperation represents an important step in INEOS’ efforts to diversify its powertrain options at an early stage.
Nuvve Corporation and Lion Electric Announce Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Collaboration
Nuvve Corporation (Nuvve), a San Diego-based vehicle-to-grid (V2G) Technology Company, and The Lion Electric, an original equipment manufacturer of all-electric heavy-duty vehicles based in Saint-Jérôme (Québec, Canada), have announced collaboration on launching vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology as a standard feature of their zero-emission school buses.
Nuvve and Lion have already partnered on key projects demonstrating the feasibility of V2G for school districts and utilities in California and New York. A joint project in White Plains, NY is currently in operation with bidirectional power flow.
ChargePoint announces integration with Apple CarPlay
ChargePoint, one of the largest electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, now works with Apple CarPlay, taking another step towards making the transition to electric mobility more seamless for drivers. This new integration brings essential EV charging data inside the vehicle, allowing drivers to easily access charging information directly from their vehicle’s infotainment system.
The drivers will be able to find nearby chargers, check station status, start a session, navigate to a station and more, without the need to pick up their iPhone while in transit.
GM to invest $27 billion through 2025 on EVs and AVs
General Motors plans to offer 30 all-electric models globally by mid-decade. Forty percent of the company’s U.S. entries will be battery electric vehicles by the end of 2025. GM has also made financial commitment to EVs and AVs today to $27 billion through 2025 – up from the $20 billion planned before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The key elements of GM’s plan, includes:
- By 2025, GM will launch 30 EVs around the world, and more than two-thirds will be available in North America. Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet and Buick will all be represented, with EVs at all price points for work, adventure, performance and family use.
- Engineering advances have increased the previously stated GM-estimated maximum range of Ultium-based vehicles from 400. GM’s Ultium-based EVs, when produced, will be capable of driving ranges up to 450 miles on a full charge.
- GM’s versatile Ultium platform provides the building blocks for everything, from mass market to high performance vehicles – all from a single, common cell in most markets and a set of interchangeable propulsion components.
- More than half of GM’s capital spending and product development team will be devoted to electric and electric-autonomous vehicle programs.
- GM’s second-generation Ultium chemistry is projected to deliver twice the energy density at less than half the cost of today’s chemistry. GM is already prototype testing this next-generation technology, which is expected to be available mid-decade.
- Ultium technology, supported by hundreds of granted patents and pending patent applications, is expected to bring EVs closer to price parity with gas-powered vehicles.
Connected Cars
Toyota Australia partners with Intelematics to deliver connected vehicles
From late 2020, select new Toyota vehicles will come fitted with connected-car capabilities thanks to a long-term partnership between Toyota Motor Corporation Australia (TMCA), and Australian technology company, Intelematics.
Intelematics’ ASURE product suite will support Toyota’s Connected Safety and Security offering, including Automatic Collision Notification (ACN), SOS Emergency call (SOS) and Stolen Vehicle Tracking (SVT). Behind the scenes, Intelematics has implemented this product suite alongside in-car technology and a contact centre partner to deliver best of breed, Australian-based services to select vehicles.
Toyota’s new Yaris Cross is the first model offered with this technology, employing a Data Communication Module (DCM) that is designed to automatically generate an SOS emergency call to a 24/7 Emergency Call Centre and relay the location of the vehicle in the event of a trigger, if an airbag deploys, or if an occupant presses the SOS (personal duress) button located above the overhead console in the vehicle.
Ferroelectric Memory raises $20 Million
Ferroelectric Memory (FMC), the ferroelectric hafnium oxide technology company, has announced that it has completed a $20 million Series B funding. The round of financing was led by the new investors M Ventures and imec.xpand, with participation of SK hynix, Robert Bosch Venture Capital, and TEL Venture Capital. The lead investor of Series A eCapital also participated in this round. The new set of investors aims to support FMC throughout the whole semiconductor value chain to bring FMC’s advanced ferroelectric memory technology to market. The company plans to expand its team in Dresden, as well as to start international expansion, including into the US and Asian markets.
FMC claims to have made significant progress in the development of its non-volatile memory technology promising to offer superior performance compared with state-of-the-art and emerging memory solutions. It is currently working closely with major semiconductor companies, as well as with foundries in the US, Europe, and Asia.
Micromobility
Spin launches Micromobility Research Fund
Ford-owned e-scooter firm Spin has launched a new £100,000 Micromobility Research Fund in the UK. Over the next 12 months, the fund will support top researchers from ten leading universities in the UK and U.S. and a number of mobility experts from organisations in the international mobility ecosystem. They will study various safety aspects of e-scooter use as well as rider travel behaviour and the challenges and opportunities of the integration of e-scooters within a city’s road systems and existing public transport networks.
India
Continental collaborates with IITs, IIITs in India on autonomous driving technology research
Continental India recently entered into partnership with Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, IIT Madras, International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore and Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi. Together with the academic institutions the technology company aims to build competencies in ADAS technologies and eventually autonomous driving technologies. According to news reports the partnership will support three key strategic pillars — technological advancement, creating an industry-ready talent pool, and enabling open innovation in the ecosystem.
Maruti Suzuki Subscribe expands to four more Indian Cities
Maruti Suzuki has expanded and launched ‘Subscribe’ in four more cities – Mumbai (including Navi Mumbai and Thane), Chennai, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. This comes after the launch of Maruti Suzuki Subscribe in major cities like Delhi-NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune, the Company
Maruti Suzuki has partnered with ORIX Auto Infrastructure Services India, a subsidiary of ORIX Corporation, Japan to introduce the service for individual customers in these four cities.
The initiative allows a customer to use a brand-new car without actually owning it. The customer needs to pay an all-inclusive monthly fee that comprehensively covers maintenance and insurance for the complete tenure.
Users can opt from a wide range of new Maruti Suzuki cars offered under Maruti Suzuki Subscribe namely – Swift, Dzire, Vitara Brezza, and Ertiga from Maruti Suzuki ARENA and Baleno, Ciaz, and XL6 from NEXA. Maruti Suzuki Subscribe offers the car in white number plate (registered in the name of customer) in these cities.
Indian Oil successfully tests innovative “Zero-Emission Electric Mobility” technology
Indian Oil Corporation recently successfully conducted a “Proof of Concept” feasibility study on “Zero-Emission Electric Mobility” at one of its fuel stations in Bengaluru.
Zero-Emission Electric Mobility is a concept that allows the electric vehicle (EV) to charge using solar power thereby ensuring zero emissions. The EV charging system has been designed by M/s. Hygge Energy, a start-up incubated by Tech Mahindra, and has three main features – EVs are charged using solar power, no upgrades are required in grid infrastructure, and grid resilience is improved by the system’s architecture, especially in remote areas.
The technology enables intelligent electric-vehicle charging using “hybrid microgrids”. Hybrid microgrids are created by integrating existing grid infrastructure with solar PV batteries. Zero Emission Electric Mobility is a highly adaptable system that employs artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to ensure that charging requirements are primarily met with renewable energy from these hybrid microgrids, thereby providing 100% clean energy e-mobility. This also prevents additional load which electric vehicle supply equipment would exert on power distribution transformers that feed fuel stations. As a result, clean energy e-mobility can be accommodated without the need for additional investments in grid infrastructure.
(Based on News Reports and Press Releases )